The UK government is banning the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles from 2030
Buying a petrol or diesel car is “not a smart financial decision”, according to an automotive sustainability expert, given the impending ban on new fossil fuel vehicles.
Fredrika Klaren, Head of Sustainability at Polestar – an electric car manufacturer based in Sweden – believes that the UK Government has the opportunity to play a decisive role in helping decarbonise cars and fight the imminent oil and climate crisis.
“I think people can sense now that buying a fossil fuel car is not a smart financial decision”, she told the Express, adding that she believes this knowledge is now “bubbling and trickling down to the consumers”, albeit insisting that “big industry players” are still way off the emission targets.
The UK’s 2030 petrol and diesel ban will outlaw the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles and aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035, as well hoping to fully transition to green/electric vehicles by 2050 in order to meet national CO2 targets – again, net-zero.
Klaren explained that while some have remarked that trying to make the switch to EVs (electric vehicles) any earlier would be unrealistic, many manufacturers have already committed to the pledge by 2035 in some markets.
She went on to add: “We just feel like we’re future-proofing ourselves and doing what’s right for business… It’s surprising that not more business leaders are able to take these very important strategic decisions at this point.
“When industries are moving too slow and when Governments are moving too slow, we really want to use the force of consumers… Transparency is one of the most fundamental things we look at when it comes to sustainability.”
Polestar states that they have been publishing the full methodology and carbon footprint behind their vehicles since 2020 and are well on track to achieve their “moonshot goal” of a completely carbon-neutral car by 2030, utilising renewable energy, circular batteries and recycled materials.
Working towards the 2030 petrol and diesel ban, the UK has already moved to the greener, more efficient E10 fuel – already common across the EU – back in 2021 and Boris Johnson has said the government is committed to helping spur on a “green industrial revolution”.
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